Flood-fence



(No Model.)

0. HERRING.

FLOOD FENCE.

No. 387,072. Patented July 31, 1888.

WITNESSES,

lhvrran @TATES ATENT Urrrcs.

CHARLES HERRING, 0F GENEVA, JENNINGS COUNTY, INDIANA.

FLOOD-FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,072, dated July 31,1888.

Application filed September 9, 1887. Serial No. 249,236. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES HERRING, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Geneva township, in the county of Jennings and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFloodFences; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of myimproved floodfence. Fig. 2 is an end View showing the fence adjustedfor the passage of ice and drift. Fig. 3 is an end view showing thefence swung over under the force of a strong current.

The same letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

Myinvention consists in an im proved adj ustable llood-fence, which willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the several parts by letter, A A indicate the posts, whichare embedded at their lower ends in the bed of the stream at or near thebanks of the same, or which may be set in a suitable sill, l3, and tothese posts is piv otally hung or hinged the fence 0, as hereinafterdescribed.

My improved fence 0 is formed with the base piece or log I), in whichare set the lower ends ofa series of parallel pickets, E. Through thisbase-log D extend on an angle with the series of pickets E, as shown,the stems of two heavy eycbolts or screws, F F, on the lower projectingscrew-threaded ends of which are screwed the nuts G G, which servetohold the log firmly on the said bolts, the bolts preferably, as shown inthe drawings, passing through the log at points near its end.

The posts A A are preferably made square in cross-section, and upon themfit adjustably the movable square collars H H, which are held in theiradjusted positions at the point to which they are moved up or down onthe posts A A by the wedges I l, or by any other suitable fastening orretaining devices which it may be desired to employ. These squaremetallic collars are provided at their forward sides with the stout eyesK K, and the eyes F of the bolts F pass through these cycsK of thepostcoll ars, and thus hinge the fence to the posts.

In operation the fence is thushinged to the two posts A A, the collars Hbeing usually adjusted upon the posts A at about theheight shown in thedrawings and secured in their adjusted position by drivingdowu thewedges I, the lower ends of the posts A A being either embedded in thebed of the stream near the banks thereof or secured in a suitable sill,B, so that the top of the base-log D lies a little below the surface ofthe stream. Vhen the current of the stream, which runs in the directionindicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, presses with unusual force against thepanels or pickets E of the fence, owing to the volume of the streambeing swollen by rain or melting snow, &c., the unusual pressure oftheflood will force or swing it over, the fence turning on its pivotal orhinge points until, if the flood is very heavy,it lies perfectlyhorizontal, allowing the water to flow freely over it, and thusprevent-- ing it from being carried away by the rushing waters or frombeing struck by any heavy log or other object which may be carried alongby the flood. As the pressure of the water gradually subsides the weightof the base-log D will raise the upper part of the fence,as the logswings down by its own weight into its normal position, as shown in Fig.1, until it is brought back into its normal position. By hanging thefence in the manner shown and described it will be seen that I get thefull strength of the posts to resist the pressure of the stream, andthat as the base-log, when in its normal position, rests upon the bed ofthe stream, or upon the sill B when a broad sill is employed, noadditional means whatever will be employed to prevent the pickets fromdropping orinclining upstream, or for holding them in their normalvertical position.

During certain seasons of the yearas, for instance, in the spring-time,when the streams are filled with ice and drift-it is very desirable tohave the pickets inclined downstream in order to permit the ice anddrift to pass over the pickets without danger of breaking them off or ofdamming up the stream, as at such times the base-log would be apt to befrozen fast, and the fence thereby be prevented from floating upon thetop of the water, as it would if it were not frozen fast. To give thepickets this inclination while the base-log can still be moved freely,the collars H H are moved down upon the posts and secured by means ofthe wedges, so that the base-log \villrest upon the bed of the streamabove the posts, as shown in Fig. 3, which will cause the pickets toincline down the stream as desired.

The posts may be set at any points desired along the length of thebase-log by merely boring suitable transverse apertures for the passageof the stems of the eyebolts.

From the foregoing description, taken in' connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation, and advantages of my improved adjustable fioodfence will be readilyunderstood.

It will be seen that my invention is simple and strong in construction,not liable to break the collars in their positions, and the fencepanelconsisting of the base-log having the series of pickets and providedwith the hinged eyes, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HERRING.

W it n esses THOMAS GALLAHAN, RUTH GASTON.

